


Surprise

by theHunter_and_theNinja



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, F/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2020-12-28 12:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21136661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theHunter_and_theNinja/pseuds/theHunter_and_theNinja
Summary: Connie discovers that she's pregnant after five years of trying to have a baby with her husband, Daryl.





	1. Hope

Connie couldn’t believe it as she looked down at the three small plastic sticks in her hands; she was pregnant. She and Daryl had been trying to have a baby now for five years with no success. But despite the pink plus signs in her hands, she was hesitant to allow herself to feel happiness. She’d gotten pregnant three times over the past five years, but miscarried each time before she reached the ten week mark. It was devastating for them each time and had nearly ended their relationship.

After the third miscarriage, Connie had fallen into a deep depression, beating herself up for her inability to carry a baby to term. Daryl had been nothing but supportive of her, but she had pushed him away every time he tried to help her. It had put a major strain on their relationship that they almost hadn’t made it through. She knew if Daryl wasn’t as dedicated to keeping their marriage alive as he was that they wouldn’t have made it.

The last miscarriage had been over a year ago and now she was pregnant again. She left the bathroom and immediately called her doctor to schedule an appointment. She didn’t want to tell Daryl until she knew how far along she was and how the baby was currently doing. The farther along she was, the smaller the chance of miscarrying became.

There was actually an open spot at 3 pm today with her preferred obstetrician. It was 2 pm now so she decided to just go ahead and head over now. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the door. She could feel her anxiety rising as she drove to the doctor’s office. Her biggest fear was that he’d tell her the baby was already gone or in severe danger.

She parked her car and walked inside, her heart pounding. After checking in, there was still half an hour until her appointment, so she sat down in the waiting room and picked up a magazine. Inside were pictures of cute baby clothes, bassinets, strollers, and baby food. They’d already bought a bassinet when they found out they were pregnant the first time and it’s been in storage in their attic ever since.

After the third miscarriage, Daryl would often find her asleep in the attic next to the bassinet holding a teddy bear like a baby. He would always carry her back downstairs and put her to bed. He’d been so patient with her despite her many angry outbursts and breakdowns. He’d had his fair share of breakdowns, but he’d always put her first knowing how much she blamed herself for what happened.

She noticed a woman approaching her and read her name on the paper in her hands. The office knew she was deaf and it was written on the front page of her file. It also let the doctors know that she could read their lips. This way the nurse who came to collect her would know she wouldn’t answer to the usual name announcement. The woman smiled brightly at her as she motioned for her to follow her into the back. She was taken into a room and the nurse asked her to sit down on the table in the middle of the room.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the ultrasound machine and she could feel anxiety pooling in her stomach. The woman checked her pulse and blood pressure finding both to be a little elevated. Connie pulled out her notebook and wrote the reason why both might be high down to show her.

_ “I’ve had three miscarriages,” _ she wrote, _ “I’m scared.” _

The nurse nodded in understanding, a sympathetic look appearing on her face.

“The doctor will be in shortly to perform the ultrasound,” she said before leaving Connie alone in the room.

She tapped her foot impatiently against the floor as she waited. She jumped when the light on her cell phone went off alerting her of a new text message. She picked up her phone and saw a text from Daryl.

“I’ll be late coming home tonight. The new mechanic, David, just got into a shouting match with our boss and was fired,” he explained.

“When do you think you’ll be home?,” she texted back, “So that I know when to start dinner.”

“Probably won’t be until closer to 8 pm because now I have to close the shop.”

She was honestly a little relieved that he was going to be late because if this went well, she wanted time to surprise him with the news. But if it didn’t go well, she was glad to have some time to pull herself together a bit before having to tell him.

“Okay. I love you,” she told him.

“I love you, too,” he replied.

Just as she was putting her phone down, the doctor came in.

“Hello Mrs. Dixon,” Dr. Carson said as he closed the door behind him.

She just waved her greeting as he walked over to sit at the ultrasound machine.

“Are you excited?” he asked her prepping the machine.

_ “Excited, but really nervous,” _ she wrote in her notebook.

“I know you’ve had a couple of rough miscarriages, so hopefully this baby is the one who makes you and your husband parents,” he said taking her hand in his.

She nodded and waited patiently for him to be ready with the ultrasound. She wanted a baby so badly that she’d changed so that her diet was already safe for a baby just in case she was ever pregnant at any point. Daryl had joined her on this diet to support her the minute she’d told him what she wanted to do.

“If you could please lay down on your back,” Dr. Carson said grabbing the wand, “we’ll go ahead and look at your baby.”

She breathed deeply as she laid down and lifted her shirt up to just below her breasts. Her eyes were glued to the screen even as the cold gel made her flinch slightly. She felt the wand press against her stomach and she watched as an image appeared on the screen. He watched as Dr. Carson pointed at the screen, but wasn’t sure if he was talking or not because she wasn’t watching him. Her eyes were stuck on the image of her baby on the screen and she prayed that they were alive and strong.

She watched as the doctor measured the baby and waited with baited breath to find out if her baby was healthy. She felt Dr. Carson’s hand tap her shoulder to get her attention. When she turned to look at him, he was smiling, which was a very good sign.

“They look very healthy,” he reported, “I’d say you’re about eight and a half weeks along based on the size of the fetus. And if you give me a minute, I’ll be able to let you feel the heartbeat.”

She was ecstatic that her baby was healthy and that she was eight weeks along. The chances of her miscarrying at this point were much smaller than before six weeks. Despite this, however, she’d still lost two of her previous babies between seven and nine weeks. She wanted to feel the heartbeat to prove to herself that her baby was alive and well.

After Dr. Carson found out she was deaf, he’d had a high tech speaker ordered to help her “hear” her baby’s heartbeat ordered. He believed it was important for every mother to have the same experience in the doctors’ office despite any disabilities they might have. He even had a machine that printed 3-D models of ultrasounds that enabled them to “see” their babies. The first time she’d felt her baby’s heartbeat, she’d cried tears of joy while Daryl held her against his chest.

She placed her hand on the speaker he handed to her and she waited for the feeling of her baby’s heartbeat to play under her fingertips. This was the moment of truth for her. If she felt nothing, then she’d suffered another miscarriage. She wasn’t sure if she could survive another failed pregnancy.

Daryl had suggested looking into adopting, but she knew how much Daryl wanted a child of his own. He’d always wanted kids and the fact that she’d so far failed to fulfill his dream weighed heavily on her. She knew he’d be okay with adopting and so was she, but she still dreamed of giving them a baby of their own making.

That’s when she felt it, a strong steady beat coming from the speaker, vibrating through her hand. She could feel the tears rolling down her face as she gasped for breath in her relief. She felt Dr. Carson place his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. He was just as happy as she was to hear that heartbeat. He’d watched this couple suffer for years trying to have a baby and the fact that this baby was healthy brought him great joy.

She didn’t want to remove her hand from the speaker, but she also wanted to get home and figure out a good way to tell Daryl. He was going to be so excited that she was pregnant with a healthy baby. Part of her wanted to get in her car and race over to his job and tell him now, but she wanted this moment to be special for him. He’d supported her consistently during all of this and she wanted to give him this surprise in a way that thanks him for all of his support and undying love.

“Would you like me to print you out a picture?” Dr. Carson asked her.

She nodded and finally managed to pull her hand away from the speaker. He removed the wand from her stomach and cleaned it off.

“I’ve made a recording of the heartbeat that you can play for your husband,” he revealed.

_ "Thank you!” _ she signed over and over knowing that was one of the few things he understood.

He laughed lightly at her reaction as he wiped the gel off her stomach. He then left to get her the picture and email her the sound file.

She collapsed back against the table as she processed everything that she’d found out in the past fifteen minutes. She was eight weeks pregnant with a healthy baby for the first time in two years. Her only concern was that she’d lost the second baby at nine weeks, but the heartbeat at eight weeks hadn’t been as strong as this baby’s was. That fact alone gave her hope that this was the one that was going to make it to term.

Now she just had to tell Daryl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you think Connie should tell Daryl that he's finally going to be a father?
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! <3


	2. Announcement

Connie drove to a craft store after leaving the doctors office and setting up an appointment two weeks from today. She walked into the store, her ultrasound picture safe in her purse. She made her way over to the cards section and looked over all the pregnancy announcement cards. All of them were so basic and underwhelming for her taste. She wanted something vibrant and exciting to tell Daryl that he was going to be a father. Most of them were for telling extended family like grandma and grandpa anyway.

So instead of getting a pre-printed card, she chose a blank one big enough to fit the ultrasound picture. She then made her way over to a section that had a bunch of card decorations for her to design her card. She picked out a pack of puffy stickers shaped like common baby items. She also grabbed some nice markers to write on and design the front of the card.

She then walked over to the baby clothing area and picked out a couple onesies for a newborn baby to put in a box with the card. Seeing a blank one, she got another idea to go along with the card. She walked over to the adult t-shirt section and picked out a plain black shirt for Daryl. It wasn’t going to stay plain, however, she was going to write on it. She grabbed some white iron-one letters and a few silver glittery cursive ones too. She wanted to write “Boyfriend 2008, Married 2012, Daddy 2020” on it and put the card on top of it in the box.

After she had everything she wanted for the surprise, she made her way up to the front counter to pay. The woman there smiled upon seeing everything she had with her.

“Can I assume that some congratulations are in order?” she asked as she rang up the items.

Connie blushed and nodded, signing _ yes. _

Thankfully the woman understood what she was saying and Connie could read the realization in the woman’s eyes that she was deaf.

“Well, congratulations then,” she said typing on her computer, “Your total’s $58.90.”

Connie signed a thank you and then handed over her card. The woman made quick work of checking her out and soon enough she was walking back out to her car. It was 4 pm meaning she had four hours to get home, make the card and the shirt, wrap it, and start dinner; easy.

When she walked in the door of her house, she was greeted by their dog who’d been asleep in the living room when she’d left earlier. Dog barked happily wagging his tail and circling her legs. She dropped the bags and gave him some attention ruffling his thick fur. When he tried to lick her face she stood back up to avoid his slobbery tongue.

Everyone they met asked them why he was named Dog and she had to admit it was a funny name. His name had become Dog kind of by accident. Daryl had rescued him from the side of the road when he was a puppy. Neither of them had been planning on getting a dog, so they were at a loss for what to call him. They ended up just calling him Dog until they could think of a proper name, but it had just stuck. Kelly had teased her about them naming their child “baby” because of it.

Connie placed everything down on the kitchen table. She decided to design the shirt first because it was the most unique part of the gift. She grabbed the shirt and letters and went downstairs to the laundry room where she kept the ironing board. She read the instructions and carefully laid out her design. Once she was pleased with it, she ironed the letters into place. When she was finished, she checked the clock and saw that she only had three hours left until Daryl was due to be home.

She threw out the rest of the stuff and packed the ironing board away so that Daryl wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. She tried in vain to get the glitter off her hands, but was unsuccessful and eventually gave up. She made her way back upstairs to find Dog sprawled across the kitchen floor asleep. She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous dog as he slept on the hardwood floor when his perfectly fluffy bed was just a few feet away.

She placed the shirt down on the table and sat down to make the card. On the outside she wrote “Congratulations Daddy!” on the front and taped the ultrasound picture to the inside of the card. She placed the cute baby stickers on the outside to distract from the boring white of it. She then drew some polka dots on the front to give it some color and then tucked it into its envelope.

She knew she needed a box to put it all in, so she went up into the attic. Her heart swelled when her eyes fell on their baby bassinet sitting in the corner, the teddy bear laying inside it. She could just picture their baby sleeping peacefully in that bassinet in their room in a couple months. She ran her fingers over the light blue ruffles on the edge as she walked by it.

The only boxes they had were either for Christmas or birthdays. There wasn’t even just a generic one with nothing but stripes on it. She sighed at their lack of variety, but grabbed a birthday one figuring it was more appropriate than the Christmas one. She might’ve gone with the Christmas one if it was even remotely close to Christmas, but it was May right now. Daryl was still going to be confused by the wrapping because his birthday isn’t until February, but oh well.

She made her way back downstairs and started arranging the items in the box so that the onsies were on the bottom and the card was on top. She jumped when the light in their kitchen went off signaling to her that someone had entered through their front door. She quickly slammed the lid on the box and spun around. She was shocked when she saw Daryl standing there taking off his shoes. She hid the box behind her as much as she could and discreetly shoved the extra card supplies back into the shopping bag. She grabbed it and tossed it next to her purse just before he stood up to greet her.

_ “Hey babe,” _ he signed moving forward to kiss her hello.

Connie happily returned the kiss, but was still confused as to what he was doing home so early.

_ “I thought you weren’t going to be back until later?” _ she asked glancing over at the clock.

Dog came running into the kitchen having left while she was making the card, most likely to bark at a squirrel outside. Daryl immediately bent down to greet Dog, letting him lick his face much to Connie’s annoyance. This is why she could never get Dog to stop trying to lick her no matter how much she tried to show him she didn’t like it.

Daryl furrowed his eyebrows at her strange reaction, _ “Got someone to cover the rest of the shift. Are you not happy that I came home early?” _

_ “I’m happy, just shocked. You almost ruined your surprise coming home this early unexpectedly.” _

_ “My surprise?” _ he asked cocking one eyebrow, _ “What have you been up to?” _

She blushed and bit her lip, _ “Nothing.” _

_ “Liar,” _he teased grinning.

He pulled her into a hug and kissed her again. She used her arms to wrap around his shoulders and pull him closer. She desperately wanted to just burst out with the news, but she didn’t want all her hard work to go to waste.

When they pulled away from the kiss, Daryl kept his hands around her waist.

“You know it’s not my birthday, right?” he smirked glancing at the box on the table.

She rolled her eyes, _ “Yes, I do. We have very limited wrapping choices.” _

“Ah,” he nodded in understanding, “So, when do I get to open it?”

_ “Give me another kiss and I’ll let you open it now,” _ she teased him.

He tilted his head in consideration, “I don’t know. That’s a high price to pay...”

She rolled her eyes at his antics before pulling him down for another kiss herself. She could feel the slight vibrations of his laughter against her lips as she kissed him. She reluctantly broke the kiss, but she was bursting with excitement to give him the box telling him he was going to be a father.

She grabbed his hand and brought him over to the table and sat him down. She then pushed the box over to him and pulled out her phone to capture his reaction.

_ “Why are you recording?” _ he asked squinting his eyes at her.

She shrugged trying to act innocent, _ “It’s for research purposes.” _

_“Ha ha,”_ he sarcastically laughed at her joke, _ “Something better not fling me across the room. I’m old.” _

She snorted at his comment, but didn’t try to argue with him. She was too anxious for him to open his present. She pressed record as he lifted the top off the box and pulled back the tissue paper. He smiled as he saw the shirt and picked up the card. She’d arranged the shirt so that he could only see “Boyfriend 2008, Married 2012” and not the last line. He opened the card and pulled it, then froze upon reading the front of it.

He looked up at her, all joking gone from his face.

“What?” he asked forgetting to sign it.

Not waiting for an answer, he opened the card and dropped it on the table. He placed his face in his hands, his elbows resting heavily on the table. She let him have his moment as he took in the news. He pulled his hands away from his face and looked down at the ultrasound picture again.

_ “Are you serious?” _ he signed staring at her, his hands shaking.

She nodded and he ran his fingers over the picture unable to get enough of it.

_“Are they healthy?” _he asked.

He was practically crying at this point and so was she.

She nodded again. He went to get out of his chair to come over to her, but she put her hand out and pointed at the box. Confused he lifted the shirt out of the box and noticed the third line of text “Daddy 2020.” He brought the shirt to his lips as he let his tears fall. He glanced back in the box and ran his fingers over the soft material of the onsies, but left them in the box. Instead of pulling them out, he stood up and walked over to Connie who put her phone down.

He pulled her into a tight hug and she relaxed against his chest. They stood there in their kitchen crying as they both continued to process the news of her pregnancy.

Dog padded around the kitchen whining as he watched his owners embrace. He was nervous because he could hear his owners crying again. He shoved his nose in between their legs in an attempt to comfort them and his actions were met with soft laughter. He felt his master reach down and rub between his ears. Happy to know they were okay he licked his hand.

Connie watched the exchange giggling at how Dog was still trying to protect them not understanding they were crying tears of joy. She scratched behind Dog’s ears too happy that their whole family was here for this happy moment.

_ “How far along are you?” _ Daryl asked bringing her attention back to him.

_ “Eight weeks, but the heartbeat’s very strong,” _ she assured him.

Daryl kissed her after hearing that. Her mentioning the heartbeat made her remember that the doctor had shared the sound file with her. She broke the kiss and grabbed her phone to pull it up.

_ “Listen,” _ she told a confused Daryl.

She pressed play and watched as his expression went from confusion to awe.

_ “Is that...?” _ he started.

She nodded, _ “their heartbeat.” _

Daryl kissed Connie as he listened to the sound of his baby’s heartbeat. It was much stronger than the heartbeat of the baby they’d lost at nine weeks. He figured that’s why she was so confident that this baby would be the baby that made it.

* * *

Kelly screamed in excitement when they finally told their extended family when Connie was almost three months along. They’d thought about doing it immediately, but Kelly’s birthday was coming up in June and Connie wanted to make the day special for her. Kelly was so excited to be an aunt when they’d gotten pregnant the first time that she’d started buying baby clothes the next day. She was just as heartbroken as them when they lost the baby at six weeks.

“No fucking way!” she yelled holding up the baby onsie reading “I love my Aunt.”

They laughed at her loud reaction, but they definitely shared her excitement.

_ “Don’t drink the punch!" _ Kelly signed her eyes blowing wide, _ “I spiked it thinking it would be funny.” _

Daryl snorted, _ “We know. I can smell the vodka from here.” _

Kelly glared at him, but couldn’t hold in her smile for long. He braced himself against the counter when she bolted over to hug him. She then hugged her sister, but way less aggressively.

Daryl told Rick later that week by giving him a card with a picture of a baby on the front asking “Will you be my godfather?” Rick had hugged him so tight he’d thought he was going to pass out. Michonne was excited to start shopping for maternity clothes with Connie when she stopped fitting into her normal clothes. Michonne herself was almost seven months pregnant with Rick’s third child, her second.

Connie baked Carol some cookies in the shape of baby bottles with her due date on them and gave them to her to serve at one of their monthly family gatherings. She’d been so happy for them she almost dropped the box when she saw what was inside. The cookies at Carol’s party was how the rest of the family had found out about their pregnancy. The night had been filled with congratulations and talk of a baby shower.

Connie, of course, took great pleasure in showing them all the video of when she’d told Daryl he was going to be a father leading to much awing and many hugs. Daryl pretended to be annoyed, but he admitted to Connie that he liked the video too.

* * *

Daryl looked up from where he was sitting on the couch watching TV with Dog laying next to him to see Connie walking into the living room. She was almost eight months pregnant now and her belly was heavily swollen from carrying their child. She was wearing only a bra and some sweatpants, but she looked amazing to Daryl. No matter what she was wearing, she was beautiful to him.

It had been a difficult pregnancy for her as she’d come close to losing the baby a few times. The scariest of which was when she was four months along and her placenta separated from the lining of her uterus. It had been painful and unbelievably terrifying for both of them. It had happened so unexpectedly and so quickly and left them both reeling.

She’d been forced onto bed rest at six months when they’d heard the heartbeat becoming strained. Daryl had started working halftime to stay home with Connie and thankfully his boss understood and let him do that. He had made Daryl promise that if he ever absolutely needed him that he would come in if he could. Daryl had been called in last minute twice so far, but luckily Kelly had been able to come help Connie while she was on bed rest. 

_ “Hey babe,” _ Daryl greeted her.

She smiled at him and made her way slowly over to him and joined him on the couch. Dog whined when she didn’t immediately pet him.

_ “Someone wants your attention,” _ he told her gesturing to Dog.

She giggled and reached out to scratch behind his ears. Dog got up from Daryl’s side of the couch and walked over to Connie’s and jumped up. He licked her exposed belly gently like he was trying to kiss the baby. Daryl often found Dog curled up with his nose on Connie’s belly like he was already protecting the baby. Daryl laid a hand on her belly that Dog immediately nosed off.

_ “Dog, he’s allowed to touch my belly,” _ Connie laughed, _ “He’s the father.” _

Daryl laughed along with her and settled for putting his arm behind her head and letting her rest against his chest. 

_ “How are you feeling?” _ Daryl asked her rubbing her shoulder.

_ “Tired, but okay,” _ she assured him.

_ “I’ll cook dinner tonight, okay?” _

She smiled up at him.

_ “Try not to set the smoke alarms off, okay?” _ she teased him.

He rolled his eyes and glared playfully at Dog.

_ “It was one time,” _ he groaned, _ “and it was Dog’s fault. If he hadn’t broken his chain to chase a squirrel I’d have stayed in the kitchen.” _

She giggled and kissed him, _ “The baby’s kicking.” _

She took his hand in one of hers and placed in on her belly. Her other hand scratched behind Dog’s ears so that he wouldn’t try to nose Daryl’s hand off again. Daryl could feel the tiny kicks under his fingers as his hand laid on his wife’s belly. He kissed her as he felt the kicks under his fingertips. His free hand came up to caress her face as they kissed. He was so happy enjoying this peacefully playful moment with his family. He knew that once the baby arrived, slow moments like this one would become much more rare. But, he was excited for the coming change and longed to hold their child in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. <3


	3. Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be the end of this fic, but I am accepting prompts and ideas for things that might happen in the future for this family. I want to know more about what you guys want to read.
> 
> I will definitely be turning this into a series with oneshots continuing the story. I just need your guy’s ideas on where you want the story to go from here. <3
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr @thehunter-and-theninja

Daryl couldn’t stop his pacing as he stood next to Connie’s hospital bed. She’d literally just gone into labor and he was practically jumping out of his skin. She was just under a month early for the delivery and he was scared that something was wrong. Surely they couldn’t have made it this far in the pregnancy just for life to cruelly sweep in and take it away from them? It was just yesterday that they’d been relaxing and joking around on the couch. He could feel her eyes on him as he paced. He’d tired sitting still, but it was too much for him. He needed the doctor to come back in and assure him that both his wife and his unborn child were going to be okay.

He stopped when he felt an empty plastic cup hit him on the side of the head. He turned around and looked over at Connie who was watching him with concerned eyes.

_ “Please come and sit down,” _ she pleaded.

_ “I can’t,” _ he explained, _ “I can’t sit still until I know you’re both okay.” _

_ “I’m scared too,” _ she admitted, _ “But I would feel a lot better if you were over here holding my hand.” _

He couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty about his behavior. She was the one giving birth in a few hours, not him, yet he was the once acting like a baby was about to exit his vagina. Connie on the other hand was lying calmly on her hospital bed having her contractions monitored by a machine. He could tell she was worried by the scared look in her eyes, but she wasn’t showing it outwardly like he was.

_ “How are you so calm?” _ he asked her sitting down in the chair next to her bed.

_ “I don’t know,” _ she shrugged, _ “I just have to trust that everything is going to be okay.” _

He took her hand in his and kissed it, holding it to his lips. She could feel the tremors in his hands from how anxious he was. He gently placed her hand back on the bed so he could sign to her again.

_ “I need everything to be okay because I don’t think I’d survive losing you two,” _ he revealed, leaning forward to place his hand on her stomach.

She reached out and caressed his cheek, _ “We’re not going anywhere.” _

He smiled weakly at her and stood up to kiss her. He loved her so much. Their kiss was broken, however, when a contraction hit her and she broke away groaning in pain. The contractions were steadily becoming more and more painful. They’d come to the hospital way early and they both knew it, but they’d panicked when it happened because she was so early. Just yesterday she’d been lying on the couch with Daryl and Dog giggling and thinking about the future birth of their child. They were excited for their child to join the world, but they’d have both preferred for them to wait a few more weeks.

Daryl was sitting forward in his chair, tapping his foot anxiously against the floor his hands holding one of Connie’s when he heard someone knocking. He told Connie there was someone at the door and got up to answer it. Outside the door was Kelly holding two balloons, one for a baby girl and one for a baby boy. Connie and Daryl had decided to forgo finding out the gender of their baby wanting it to be a surprise when they were born. Kelly had been disappointed at first because she wanted to buy baby clothes, but slowly warmed up to the idea stating _ “baby boys can wear pink too, it’s fucking 2020.” _

“Hey,” Kelly said, pulling Daryl into a hug.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” he said pulling away and letting her inside.

_ “Of course I came,” _ she exclaimed, running over to hug Connie, _ “My big sis is going to give birth to my little niece or nephew!” _

Connie chuckled as she pulled away, _ “Don’t you have work today?” _

_ “Yeah, but I called off today telling them my sister was in the hospital,” _ she shrugged placing the balloons in the corner of the room.

_ “I’m not dying,” _ Connie shook her head in faux disapproval.

_ “They don’t need to know that yet,” _ she grinned taking a seat next to Connie’s bedside, _ “Besides who’s going to keep a level head if I’m not here?” _

_ “True, Daryl’s already had a full freak out session,” _ Connie revealed smirking at her husband.

Daryl blushed and flipped them both off, but they just laughed. Connie’s laughter was cut off as another contraction hit causing her to yell out in pain. Daryl ran to her side and took her hand immediately.

This one was much more painful than the last one and she wondered how much longer she had until she went into active labor. She’d been feeling small contractions all morning, but assumed they were just braxton hicks contractions and nothing to worry about. She hadn’t even realized she was in labor until her water broke.

_ “Well you are month early,” _ Daryl reminded Connie, _ “I feel like that gives me the right to freak out a bit.” _

Kelly’s smile dropped when Daryl reminded her of that, _ “Everything is okay with you and the baby, right?” _

_ “As far as we know,” _ Connie replied rubbing her belly.

Connie grabbed the side of her bed suddenly as another contraction hit and she yelled out, her nails biting into Daryl’s skin. Kelly pushed the other chair over to him to sit down and he thanked her. He’d noticed that the contractions were becoming closer and closer together now. Once the contraction had passed, he grabbed some water and gave it to her. She swallowed it all down quickly and thanked him for the help.

The door opened and their doctor, Dr. Carson, walked in holding a clipboard. He smiled at them as he approached the bed.

“Hello Mr. and Mrs. Dixon,” he said, “how are you holding up?”

_ “Okay,” _ Connie signed while her sister interpreted.

“That’s great, I’m here to assure you all your preliminary tests are good. The baby is fine, they’ve just decided they were ready to join the world a little earlier than we planned on,” he explained.

Daryl breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard the good news, as did Connie.

“If you don’t mind, I need to see how far dilated you are,” Dr. Carson said pulling over a rolling stool, “It’ll help me judge how far along you are.”

Connie nodded and spread her legs so that he could do what he needed to do. He pulled on a sterile glove and reached up under her hospital gown. She jumped slightly when his fingers went in despite her already knowing what he was doing.

“I’d say you’re about 5 cm dialted so far which means that while you’re in active labor now, you’ve still got another few hours before you’ll need to start pushing,” he said pulling his fingers back out and throwing away the glove.

Connie nodded her understanding and closed her legs again. She was happy that the process was moving along well. Based on that information and what she knew about the birthing process, she must’ve officially gone into labor at some point during the night.

“I’ll be back to check on you in another hour,” Dr. Carson said as he stood, “Try going for a walk around the hospital. It’s important to keep changing positions during this phase.”

Daryl nodded as the doctor pushed the chair back to the side of the room and left. Connie gripped Daryl’s hand tight as another contraction hit her, lasting about 30-40 seconds this time. She breathed heavily as the pain eased and she relaxed back against the bed.

_ “Come on,” _ Daryl encouraged her, _ “Let’s take a walk, doctors orders.” _

Connie glared at him, but let him help her out of the bed. Daryl grabbed her IV stand while Kelly helped her put her slippers on. He placed his arm around her leading her out of the room. This was going to be a long couple of hours.

* * *

Connie screamed as her longest contraction so far hit her full force. She was back in her hospital bed and they were coming every two minutes or so now. The epidural they’d given her wasn’t masking the pain as much as she’d naively hoped it would.

Kelly had been asked to leave the room for this part of the birth since she wasn’t the designated support person. Kelly had hugged her and kissed her belly one last time before leaving the room. Daryl had taken to sitting behind her head and supporting her during each contraction.

Since he couldn’t whisper encouragement into her ears, he just gently kissed the side of her head and neck. He had been signing words of endearment in front of her until she grabbed his hands for support and refused to let go. His hands were covered in small crescent shaped imprints from where her nails had dug into his skin. He wasn’t looking forward to her squeezing the life out of his hands when she started pushing, but he honestly had no room to complain. A human being was about to exit his wife, so he could deal with purple fingers and finger nail cuts.

The door to their room opened and Dr. Carson came back in, this time dressed in full scrubs. Daryl knew that meant it was pretty much time for Connie to start pushing. Two nurses came in after him pushing carts full of everything they’d need for during and after the birth. Daryl wished he could sign “I love you” to her, but she still had his hands captive against her sides. Instead, he pressed his lips to her temple, hoping to convey those words through his kiss. 

She glanced up at him as Dr. Carson positioned himself between her legs. Daryl could see the fear in her eyes as she prepared to deliver their baby.

“I love you,” he said hoping she was able to read his lips despite the pain she was in.

She started to smile, but her expression quickly morphed into pain as another contraction rocked her body.

_ “You’re at 9 cm now, just a little bit longer and you’ll be ready to start pushing,” _ the interpreter relayed to her.

The interpreter behind him repeated what he said in sign language just in case she’d missed what he said. Connie was thankful for the interpreter since it had been hard enough to focus on what Daryl had said just seconds ago. She was in no state to try to read anyone’s lips right now. Her hands tightened painfully around Daryl’s as a contraction hit that seemed to have no end. She screamed as wave after wave of pain flooded through her body.

_ “Mrs. Dixon,” _ the interpreter signed, _ “I’m going to need you to start pushing now, okay?” _

Connie breathed hard as she did what the doctor said and pushed. She screamed as the pain somehow increased. Why on earth had she wanted this so much? She became lost in a haze of pain as she watched the interpreter and did her best to follow the instructions. She could feel Daryl supporting her from behind and she wanted to yell at him for doing this to her. Her entire body was shaking from exhaustion as she watched the interpreted sign encouragement that she was sure was coming from Daryl.

She briefly registered the information that the baby was crowning and she knew that was good, but all she could think about right now was getting the baby out and being done with this whole ordeal. The pain was at an alltime high now as her baby’s head was pressing through the end of her birth canal and peeking out to the world.

_ “Just one more big push and they should be out,” _ the interpreter encouraged her.

She screamed as she bore down and pushed with all her strength. She gasped as she felt the baby slide out of her and into Dr. Carson’s hands. She collapsed back against Daryl chest to breathe who immediately cuddled her to his chest. Dr. Carson held the baby up so that she could see them, but she’d barely processed their existence when they disappeared from her sight again. She wished she could hear her baby’s cries to know if they were okay, but she had to wait for the interpreter or someone to tell her if her baby was breathing.

She felt something else slide out of her, but she was too focused on her baby being okay to fully register it. It was probably just the placenta anyway. She blearily looked up at the interpreter who was thankfully signing at her.

_ “He’s crying,” _ was all Connie caught of her long explanation.

She was too tired to process what else the interpreter was saying. She just wanted to hold her baby in her arms and fall asleep. She wanted to know their gender and tell everyone their name. She wanted to see Daryl hold their baby for the first time.

She was confused when she felt Daryl move away from her. He laid her gently back onto the bed and kissed her forehead. He signed something, but she didn’t quite catch it. He walked down to the end of the bed and she watched as he cut the umbilical cord. They didn’t hand him the baby like she thought they would. Instead, a nurse came over and took the baby from the doctor and placed them in a crib like thing and left the delivery room.

She started to protest, but stopped when the interpreter mentioned something about testing. Daryl walked back over to her and sat down next to her on the bed.

_ “You did it,” _ he signed smiling over at her in awe, _ “You just gave birth to our daughter.” _

She has a daughter. She couldn’t believe it. She wanted to hold her so bad, but they’d already taken her away.

_ “Where did they take our baby?” _she asked desperately.

_ “They had to take her to run some tests because she’s premature. They want to make sure everything is fully developed,” _Daryl explained.

Connie glanced longingly over at the door before Daryl pulled her attention back to him.

_ “They’re going to take you to get cleaned up and make sure you’re alright. I’ll meet you in our room in a few minutes, okay?” _ he asked her.

She nodded since it wasn’t like she had much of a choice. She wanted her baby back now, but she knew they needed to run those tests because she was born so early. Daryl kissed her head before the remaining nurse shooed him out of the room.

* * *

Daryl made his way towards their designated room. He’d already sent a message to Kelly telling her to meet him there. He was told that Connie would be brought to the room, fully cleaned up from and birth and checked with 10-15 minutes. He also knew they’d have their baby with them within 30. It was the hospital’s top priority to run the tests as quickly as possible to get the baby back to the mother so she could feed her.

Daryl opened the door to see Kelly already inside, the balloons in the corner of the room. She jumped up when she saw him and waited for him to speak, her eyes wide, anxious for information.

“It’s a girl!” Daryl announced, grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh my god,” she cheered, pumping her fist, “I totally called it.”

Daryl chuckled at his sister-in-law’s reaction to the news that she was officially an aunt to a newborn baby girl. She ran over to him and hugged him tight. 

“How are they?” Kelly continued pulling away from him.

“They’re both good as far as I know. The birth went really well according to Dr. Carson. We’re just waiting for them to finish their tests since she’s still technically a premature baby. Connie should be here shortly,” he explained practically collapsing into one of the available chairs.

This whole ordeal, starting from the second her water broke to now, has been extremely exhausting and emotional. He knew how tired he was, so he couldn’t even begin to imagine how tired Connie was right now. He still couldn’t quite believe that she’d just pushed a human being out of her body.

The door opened and a couple nurses came in wheeling Connie on her new, much more comfortable bed. Connie wasn’t asleep, but her eyes kept blinking slowly proving that she was only awake because she was forcing herself to be. Daryl waited until they had her settled before going up to them.

“How is she?” he asked them.

“Tired, but good. The birth went as perfectly as it could,” one of them explained, “Your baby should be here within the next ten minutes or so. The nurse who brings her will help your wife with breast feeding and tell you everything you’ll need to know about what comes next.”

“Thank you,” he said as they left.

He walked over to Connie and bent down to kiss the top of her head. Kelly walked over after him and gave her a hug as best she could.

_ “How are you feeling, babe?” _ he asked sitting back down in the chair.

_ “Tired,” _ she replied, her eyes practically glazing over as she looked at him.

_ “You were amazing, I could never have done that.” _

She smiled weakly at him, _ “Damn right. Where is she?” _

He was glad that she was still able to joke at this point.

_ “They said she’s supposed to be here in a few minutes,” _ he assured her, _ “They just want to make sure she’s healthy since she came so early.” _

Connie nodded her understanding,_ “I hope she gets here soon. I feel like I’m going to fall asleep and miss everything.” _

_ “I promise I won’t let that happen,” _ Daryl said smiling at his wife.

Silence fell as they waited impatiently for someone to bring them their baby. Connie was staring at the door, praying that each passing second would be the one in which her baby arrived. She hadn’t even gotten to hold her yet because she’d been born prematurely and it was extremely painful.

Finally, the door opened and a nurse came in pushing a small cart with a standard hospital bassinet attached to it.

“Look who’s here,” the nurse said softly wheeling their baby in.

Daryl was on his feet in a heartbeat and walked over to her. He peered down at his daughter and physically felt himself fall in love with her. He’s never known love like what he was feeling in this moment before and he knew he’d never get enough of it for as long as he lived. She was fussing as she laid there, probably because she was hungry and needed to be fed. She was wrapped in a pink plush blanket and had a white headband with a pink flower on her head. Daryl could see small tufts of black hair poking through the headband and he smiled. The nurse picked the baby up carefully and gently instructed Daryl on how to hold her.

Daryl stared down at the tiny bundle in his arms barely able to believe that she was his. He could definitely see Connie in her face, she looks so much like her mother. He wished she would open her eyes so he could see them, but all she was focused on right now was that she was hungry. His daughter kept fussing as he was observing her fully for the first time. He looked over at Connie as saw that she was staring at them with a soft smile on her face. He grinned back at her and turned around. He carefully made his way over to Connie and lowered their daughter into her arms.

Connie cradled their baby against her chest. She could feel her body responding to the fussing of her baby. The nurse walked over and began teaching her how to breastfeed. Daryl interpreted what the nurse was saying for her so that she didn’t have to try to read the nurse’s lips. It took a good fifteen minutes for her to get their daughter to latch on at the correct angle to get milk. Her fussing quieted as she began to drink and the whole room, except for the nurse, was mesmerized by what was happening.

Connie played with her daughter’s wisps of black hair as she drank. She couldn’t get enough of the sight of her daughter breastfeeding for the first time. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing ever, but it was beautiful in her eyes. She looked up and saw that Daryl and Kelly were just watching the newborn feed.

Kelly noticed her looking and asked, _ “What are you naming her?” _

_ “We were going to name her Samantha, Sam for short,” _ Daryl revealed, _ “After your and Connie’s mother.” _

Connie and Kelly’s mother had passed away when they were very young after a long battle with breast cancer. Daryl had been the one to suggest honoring her memory by naming the baby after her, Samantha if it was a girl and Samuel if it was a boy. Connie had practically tackled him with a kiss when he'd suggested it.

_ “Daryl’s idea,” _Connie signed with her free hand since the other one was holding her baby girl.

Kelly looked over at Daryl in shock, her eyes watering. She pulled him into a strong hug and thanked him repeatedly for being willing to name his daughter after their mother. Daryl just held her and waited patiently for her to stop crying.

Connie felt Sam let go of her nipple and open her mouth, scrunching up her tiny nose. She assumed that some kind of noise had come out and she wished she could’ve heard it, but the face she was making was adorable all the same. The nurse came over and showed her how to burp the baby, offering her a towel for spit up. It took a few minutes, but eventually Sam spit up the excess milk onto the rag. The nurse cleared the soiled towel away and left a few clean ones behind for when she’d have to feed Sam during the night.

Now that her belly was full, Sam fell asleep in Connie’s arms. The nurse offered to move her to the bassinet, but she declined wanting to hold her for a little while longer despite how much her body was begging her to sleep. The nurse nodded in understanding and left after telling Daryl everything he needed to know for the coming night.

Kelly extracted herself from Daryl’s arms and went over to her sister. She sat down on the edge of the bed and petted the top of Sam’s head gently. She was so small against her sister’s chest and Kelly was already in love.

_ “Can I hold her?” _ Kelly asked.

Despite not wanting to give her up, Connie agreed and helped Kelly take the baby into her arms. Kelly stayed there, cradling the newborn in her arms. Sam cooed in her sleep and her heart melted at the sound.

“What’s her full name?” she asked making sure her sister could see her lips since her hands were currently occupied.

_ “Samantha Sophia Dixon,” _ Connie replied relaxing back against her pillows.

“Sophia?” Kelly was confused, but felt like she recognized the name somehow.

_ “Carol’s daughter who was killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver when she was only ten years old,” _ Daryl explained.

Kelly remembered the story now. Sophia, along with Carol’s abusive husband, at the time were killed when a drunk driver hit their car head on. It had happened long before they’d ever met Daryl, but it was nice of them to name their daughter in memory of two people that had been taken too soon.

Connie tapped Kelly’s arm and signed that she wanted her baby back. Kelly reluctantly handed the newborn back to her mother and stood up.

_ “I’ll make up the cots,” _ she told Daryl.

He nodded and ended up taking her place on the bed. He didn’t ask for the baby from Connie, much to her relief. She didn’t want to let her go again until sleep was too hard to resist.

_ “She’s perfect,” _ Daryl said looking down at his newborn daughter.

Finally, after five years of pain and sadness, they had a baby. They’d watched longingly as Carol and her new husband, Ezekiel, had two boys named Benjamin and Henry; as Rick and Michonne had RJ; and Rosita and Siddiq had Coco. They’d been there to celebrate the births with all their friends, but it had been excruciatingly painful for them as well. To have to congratulate their friends for something they wanted so badly and seemingly couldn’t have was devastating. But now they had their own baby and they couldn’t be happier.

Connie could feel her eyes beginning to droop to the point that she could barely keep her eyes open. Daryl leaned down and kissed her, conveying just how much he loved her in that kiss.

_ “Give her here,” _ he instructed her, _ “You need to sleep.” _

She nodded and let him take Sam from her arms. The last image she saw before drifting off was her husband holding their newborn baby. She fell asleep with a soft smile on her lips and let her dreams be filled with ideas of what their future life as a family would be like.


End file.
